Not All Vitamin C Serums Penetrate the Same

Skin penetration data reveals a wide gap between popular formulations

By
Kerri Miller
April 16, 2026
3 min

MDSpire News

Objective:

To compare the skin penetration of three vitamin C formulations using a synthetic skin membrane.

Approach:

Key Findings:

Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate showed up to 38 times greater absorption compared to L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate.
After 6 hours, penetration was 6% for THD ascorbate, 4.8% for AA, and 0.225% for SA.
AA's initial higher penetration declined over time, suggesting instability.

Interpretation:

Lipophilic derivatives like THD ascorbate may penetrate the skin barrier more effectively than hydrophilic forms such as AA and SA, but formulation and delivery systems also play a significant role.

Limitations:

The study was sponsored by Revision Skincare, raising potential bias.
The synthetic membrane used cannot fully replicate human skin physiology.
Clinical efficacy was not assessed.

Conclusion:

While THD ascorbate demonstrates superior absorption in a lab setting, the clinical relevance of these findings remains uncertain, highlighting the need for further investigation into the effectiveness of vitamin C formulations.